If you read this space, you know my wife gave birth to our son four days before the 2014 NYC Marathon.
I would tell you that we’re both overjoyed with parenthood, that our son, who is perfect, is the fulfillment of all our dreams, that each day dawns with the glimmer of anticipation for what’s to come and ends with a satisfying sigh as we smilingly gaze, arm in arm at our son who is peacefully sleeping in his crib.
If you have kids, or know someone who does, you know that what I just wrote is complete and utter bullshit.
My son is almost two years old. And while we love him, our days are not so super joyous right now. The Terrible Twos have struck and he’s become the two foot tall never-satisfied boss I never knew I wanted.
In the short time he’s been in our lives I’ve learned the following:
- I’ve learned how not to get pee’d on while changing his diaper
- I’ve learned I can function reasonably well on four hours of sleep (night after night after night after night)
- I’ve learned that if I really want to, I can make a decent dinner every night for my wife
- I’ve learned that FreshDirect has incredibly good heat and eat meals
- I’ve learned that an item available on Amazon Prime can be the difference between a fight and a loving gaze from my wife
- I’ve learned that marathoning sitcoms at 3AM is a lot different when you have a fussy baby who won’t go back to sleep
- And I’ve learned that, so far, my wife and I are capable of keeping our son alive and reasonably happy.
Finding the time to train
I’ve also recently learned balance and how important is it to find the time to train.
My wife is a saint. She knows I’m training for my ninth TCS NYC Marathon and she allows me the time to do it while she takes care of our son. But I don’t like to leave her to take care of him alone and truth be told, I also want to hang out with him.
You know what’s been a game changer? A running stroller.
Here’s the short list of benefits:
- I give my wife a break while getting to spend time with my son
- I get to push an extra 60 pounds on my runs (which is sometimes harder than speedwork – sometimes)
- I don’t have to wake up at 4:45 to get a run in before work
- It’s provided an opportunity for me to go out and run whenever I feel like it whether it be nap time or play time – my son LOVES it!
If you’re the parent of a little one and you’re also a runner, this is as necessary to own as a crib. I was lucky enough to get one as a hand-me-down, but if you search online, I bet you can find a used one cheap!
Finding the time to train is VITAL when it comes to running a marathon, if I don’t find time to train, marathon Sunday will be a miserable experience. And the TCS NYC Marathon is just too much of a good time to not enjoy it.
Remember, run your plan, don’t plan to run.
So who’s up for a stroller run in Central Park?
